


For Glory, For Love

by Shi_Toyu



Series: PeaceHeather's Deleted Scenes [3]
Category: Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Awesome Frigga, Gen, Guilt, Mother-Son Relationship, Parent Frigga, Pre-Thor (2011), Protective Frigga, Survivor Guilt, Talking, Thor Feels, Thor Is Not Stupid, Thor Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-08-11 13:38:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7894708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shi_Toyu/pseuds/Shi_Toyu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frigga and Thor have a talk about what happened on Vanaheim.</p><p>WILL NOT MAKE SENSE IF YOU HAVEN'T READ PEACEHEATHER'S <em>LOYALTY</em> Link within.</p>
            </blockquote>





	For Glory, For Love

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Loyalty](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7468473) by [PeaceHeather](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeaceHeather/pseuds/PeaceHeather). 



She found him in his chambers, out on his balcony. His forearms were leant against the cold, hard stone and the night air was chill against his skin but he felt none of it. She came to stand beside him, her gaze, too, drifting out to stare into the middle distance. He wondered what she saw there, among the funeral lanterns that had been released during the service. There would be many more of those to come and he would attend every one.

“Thor,” Frigga said kindly, “my son.”

Even just a few words made Thor feel as if he were wrapped up in her arms like the child he once was.

“Mother,” he murmured, swallowing hard, “I have failed. I failed Asgard. I failed Father. I failed my _men._ ”

It hurt, to admit such things out loud. It was like a great weight bearing down upon his shoulders and upon his bones, attempting to drive him to the ground. He was not entirely unsure he didn’t belong there, in the dirt. Frigga turned to look at him, but he could not bear to meet her gaze.

“Your mission could have, perhaps, gone better,” she allowed. “You did not stop to think and you have paid the price. From here, you may only hope to learn from it.”

Thor gave a huffed laugh in response, a brittle, bitter thing.

“Were it _only_ me who paid the price. No, mother, there are plenty who have paid a price far greater than mine.”

Like Loki. Thor had never felt such fear grip his heart as he had in that moment of realizing his brother was not breathing. Frigga nodded, taking in his words.

“It is never easy when a comrade falls. It is battle, though. In the future, there will be many more who die under your command, even when you make all the right decisions. You are young yet still, Thor, and you have much to learn, but all the knowledge in the world will not always be able to stop your enemies’ blades. You must prepare yourself for that.”

Thor grimaced before finally, finally, meeting his mother’s gaze. Her expression was soft, a hint of a smile curving her lips. Thor wished for nothing more than to let himself fall into her arms and allow her to comfort him as she once did. He was a man now, though, or close enough, and he did not deserve that comfort.

“I led them to the slaughter,” he confessed. “Loki blames me for it and he is right to do so. The men who survived… the families of those who didn’t… I am sure they blame me as well. _I_ blame me.”

“For blame rests upon your shoulders,” Frigga confirmed, but softened the blow by reaching out to run her fingers through his hair. “But it is not solely yours to carry. Your brother is angry and grieving for General Tyr. Once his head has cleared, he will not be so quick to point fingers, I think.”

“ _I_ convinced those men to go with us,” Thor protested. “ _I_ led them into battle and then _I_ abandoned them there as soon as Loki fell. I acted as a coward.”

“You acted as someone who loves his brother a great deal yet who has not yet had enough experience in battle to properly keep his head in battle. You are no coward, my son. I am sure of that. You will not do such a thing again.”

“Of course not,” Thor protested, taken aback. “I would _never_ -“

“So you see?” Frigga cut him off with a smile. “Already you prove that you have learned from this experience. You will remember it the next time something happens during a fight and you must adapt. What else did you learn?”

Thor scowled, but knew from long experience that his mother would not relent until she had heard what she wanted to hear.

“I learned not to leave my men without an established chain of command,” he finally said, reluctantly. The words tasted like ash in his mouth as he admitted his failings. “I have learned not to be so damningly eager.”

Frigga’s hand slid down to cup his cheek.

“You did not take the time you should have to prepare,” she reprimanded softly.

Thor bowed his head in shame and the warmth of Frigga’s hand retreated.

“It is so. My desire to prove myself blinded me. I was foolhardy. Loki tried to warn me but I was so _sure_ I had everything under control.”

He heard his mother hum in acknowledgment and agreement.

“I am not so sure any of us ever have everything truly under control. That, too, is something that I think you will remember.”

Thor nodded mutely. He thought of the messengers who had come by just hours before to deliver something to the All-Father from Vanaheim and those _scum_. Guilt pooled low in his belly.

“What of the general?” he finally managed to ask, though he was not certain he wanted to know the answer. “What price has he paid for my lessons?”

If he had gotten Loki’s father killed…

“General Tyr’s treatment at the hands of his captors is on them,” Frigga said sternly, “not on you.”

Thor’s eyes slid shut, pain blossoming in his chest.

“It is bad, then. How bad?”

“My son-“

“I need to know,” he cried desperately, looking up at his mother again from his hunched pose. “ _Please_ , Mother. I need to know.”

Her lips thinned and there was a moment’s pause before she answered.

“They have not been kind. General Tyr has been greatly wounded, but he yet lives.”

She was avoiding the details yet Thor felt no better for it. It only meant that the situation was every bit as grim as he feared.

“The couriers,” he pressed, “what message did they bring Father?”

Perhaps it had been a higher ransom demand. Perhaps it had been a threat. His mother’s expression shuttered. She did not answer him immediately and Thor had to wonder just how poor the situation must be if she did not even want to tell him about it.

“They brought no demands with them,” she hedged, before hardening and plunging right in. “They brought the All-Father a box with General Tyr’s weapon hand inside.”

Thor felt like he might be sick. He sucked in lungfuls of air and squeezed his eyes shut as he bowed his head all over again. The general’s _weapon hand_. It seemed that Thor had cost Asgard yet another soldier with his failure. The price of learning was high indeed.

**Author's Note:**

> I just needed this scene, was all.


End file.
